Wrench.



W. F. STONE.

Patented July 25, 1916.

m5 nomas versus no.. nuoro-uma. summum a. c

WILLIAM F. STONE, OF WOODFORDS, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL METAL SEAL CORPORATION, 0F DEERING JUNCTION, MAINE'A CORPORATION- OF MAINE.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25', 1916.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM F. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVoodfords, county of Cumberland, State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Vrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches, and particularly to a wrench for tightening the rotatable closure of a containing vessel.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective wrench for this purpose which may be produced in commercial quantities at the minimum cost. This object is attained in the present invention by a construction in which the capengagi'ng member is formed as a simple split grip ring fastened upon two arms which are pivoted to the handle on opposite sides of the longitudinal median line thereof, and covered and protected by an under-turned portion of the handle. This construction does away with the usual multi-section pivoted grip ring and cr0ss-bar, or in an alternative construction, obviates the use of a resilient grip ring with a cam actuating device or a sliding pivotal connection between the grip ring and handle and enables the wrench to be made in a. simple, inexpensive and readily manipulata-ble form. l

My wrench is especially adapted for use upon those closures which have a depending skirt or flange provided with a series of spaced inturned fingers disposed for progressive camming engagement by rotation of the closure with a series of cam lugs formed about the mouth of the container, although it may be used upon the conventional screw cap and other commercial forms of closures.

The construction and manner of using my device is fully disclosed in the specification which follows.

In the drawings accompanying this speciication l have shown a form of wrench which has been found satisfactory in use and well adapted to the requirements of manufacture.

Throughout specification and drawings like reference numerals are correspondingly applied, and 1n these draw1ngs,iF1gure l 1s a central longitudinal section of a wrench in accordance with my invention and showing 1t applied to a closure of the cam lug type. Fig. 2 is a partial underneath view of the wrench. Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the handle blank.

The handley member of my wrench is stamped from a single piece of metal which before bendinghas the sha-pe shown in Fig. 5. This blank consists of a relatively narrow strip lof uniform width constituting the handle proper. One end of the strip is extended obliquely to the longitudinal axis thereof and is formed as an appropriately shaped head Q constituting a bearing and protective cover for the attaching arms 3 and 3 of the split grip ring 4. The strip l also has a laterally extended po'rtion 5 which is bent under the head 2 and fastened thereto by the pivots G for the arms 3-3 constituting an under bearing and protective cover for said arms. The lateral edges of the strip l in rear of the head are bent downwardly and extend as marginal flanges 7 between which a suitable wood or other bacl ing piece 8 may be confined and secured to the strip proper by a suitable fastening 9. It will thus be seen that this one-piece construction not only provides a handle member but the lapped arrangement of the portions 2 and 5 defines an open ended recess in which the arms 3 and 3 are pivoted, thus covering and protecting the pivots therefor, which pivots, it will be observed, constitute the fastenings for the said portions.

The arms 3 and 3 are plvoted by the fastenings 6 on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the handle, one pivot being slightly in advance of the other. The arms themselves extend forwardly in substantial parallelism and terminate in attaching por tions l0 which are secured to the top face ofthe'ring and gradually decrease in width toward the opposite side or center of the ring. The ring has a. depending vskirt or flange 11i of uniform depth adapted to engage the flange 15 of a closure 16.

The closure 16 as here shown consists of a cap member having an annular depending Y flange 15 provided with a plurality of inturned fingers 17. When the cap is turned, the fingers 17 engage and disengage, according to the direction of rotation of the cap with a plurality of cam lugs 18 formed about the shouldered mouth of a'containing vessel 19.

In using my device, the handle is grasped in the hand with the thumb bearingagainst that portion of the split ring to which the arm 3 is fixed. The split ring is then opened by pressure of the thumb exerted in a forward direction against said portion of the ring. This rocks the arms 3 and 3 on their pivots 6 away from each other, causing the contiguous ends of the ring to separate until the adjustment of the cap is made, whereupon the ring is slipped over the rim of the cap. The ring is tightened on the closure by the return of the arms 3 and 3 toward each other under the action of the resilient ring itself. This tends to close the ring firmly about the cap skirt and by swinging the device in the proper direction the cap may be tightened while firmly gripped.

It will be noted that my device obviates the use of a sliding pivotal connection between the handle and the cap engaging member, and that all pivots are stationary. The ring is opened by simple pressure applied directly to it by the thumb. This does away with a cam slot and pin or the like while enabling the grip ring to be applied with sufficient tightness to prevent slipping on the surface of the cap skirt.

Various modifications in the form and construction of my invention may obviously be resorted to within the limits of the appended claims.

I claim- 1. A wrench, comprising a split grip ring adapted to be opened by manual pressure applied directly thereto, a handle member, an arm secured to said ring at one side of the split thereof and pivoted to the handle, and another arm fixed to said ring on the opposite side of the split thereof and pivoted to the handle.

2. A wrench, comprising a split grip ring adapted to be opened by manual pressure applied directly thereto, a handle member, an arm secured to said ring at one side of the split thereof and pivoted to the handle, and another arm fixed to said ring on the opposite side of the split thereof and pivoted to the handle in alinement with the pivot of the first-named arm. t

3. A wrench, comprising a handle member having a head obliquely disposed with relation to the longitudinal axis thereof and having a portion extending at substantially right angles to said head and constituting a pivot bearing portion, and a cap engaging member pivoted on said portion.

el. In a wrench, a one-piece handle member consisting of a shank having a head atk one end and a laterally extended portion turned under said head and defining therewith a covered recess, a pair of arms pivoted in saidvrecess, and a cap engaging member Vcarried by said arms.

5. In a wrench, a one-piece handle member consisting of a shank having an obliquely disposed head at one end and a laterally eX- tended portion turned under said head and fastened thereto, and defining therewith a covered recess, a pair of arms pivoted in said recess on the same fastenings which connect said head and lateral portion to each other and disposed in the same horizontal plane, and a cap engaging member carried by said arms. H

6. In a wrench, a one-piece handle member consisting of a relatively narrow shank of uniform width terminating at one end in a head disposed in the same plane with said shank, and having between the shank proper and the head a laterally extended portion turned under said headand fastened thereto and defining with said head a covered recess, said shank having down-turned longitudinal fianges adapted to engage a backing member, a backing member fastened to said shank, and a cap engaging member pivoted in said recess.

7. In a wrench, a one-piece handle member consisting of a relatively narrow shank of uniform width terminating at one end in an obliquely disposed head disposed in the same plane with said shank, and having between the shank proper and the head a laterclass described, consisting of a blank having y a fiat shank portion of substantially uniform width and terminating at one end-in an obliquely disposed head arranged in the same plane with said shank, said head having a laterally extended portion disposed at substantially right angles thereto and turned under and secured to said head in spaced relation whereby to dene'therewith a covered recess.

' 9. A wrench, comprising Leap-engaging lao Y member, a member having a portion dis- In testimony whereof I affix my signature posed obliquely to the longitudinal aXis of in presence of tWo Witnesses. the wrench, and having operative connection WILLIAM F. STONE. with said cap-engaging member, and an arm- Vitnesses:

5 pivoted to said portion and fastened to said HELEN DIoKsoN,

cap-engaging member. L. B. TRACY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of -IE'atents, Washington, D. C. 

